Cruises?

So.. Dh and I are thinking about going on our first cruise during the summer. We have no clue about Cruise lines, interaries etc.

Again, this is our FIRST cruise. DH has get motion sickness from playing certain video games, and I have a semi-fear about being in the open ocean. After being convinced by so many people I think we may attempt one this summer. We're not looking for a really long one since we don't know how we're going to be. Soo.. thoughts? Suggestions? We're also not looking to spend a fortune since we're going to TX this week and to London in Sept.

Re: Cruises?

I love cruises!! We go on Carnival and love it. They have some 4 day ones out of Miami that you can do. Also try to get a room in the middle of the boat- you wont feel it rocking that much.
I was also nervous about being on the ocean with no land in site because I am deathly afraid of water and cant swim- but let me tell you it was fine.
Make sure you bring dramamine (it really helps)

Re: Cruises?

why not try a short cruise out of NYC just to see if you like it

Re: Cruises?

---

Posted by little j

why not try a short cruise out of NYC just to see if you like it

---

This - I think they have cruises to Bermuda that aren't that long.

Re: Cruises?

---

Posted by 2010BTB

---

Posted by little j

why not try a short cruise out of NYC just to see if you like it

---

This - I think they have cruises to Bermuda that aren't that long.

---

bermuda cruises are 7 days

but they have 4/5 day cruises to canada

and then have 1 or 2 night 'cruises to nowhere'

Re: Cruises?

My concern about going out of NY is because people have told us that the waters tend to be rougher when you leave NY then if you leave from Fl.

Re: Cruises?

i would check out Carnival as i find them to be the cheapest priced. they have some short cruises out of florida...3 and 4 day.
tell your DH to get the little patch that he can wear behind his ear. TONS of people wear them on the ship so its not a big deal. As for you with teh open ocean, i get that its a scary thought but the ships are pretty sturdy and you dont really feel the rocking much. i advise you not to stand looking over the side at night as that can be kinda scary lol.
cruises are my all time fave vacations!!

Re: Cruises?

Carnival does tend to be the cheapest out of all the cruises that I've noticed but I could be wrong. In any case, it is DEF cheap. The only thing I didn't like about carnival was that there was so many kids on the ship we felt like we were on one huge babysitter. I tend to LOVE Royal Carribean. It's a little more expensive but the ships are bigger and it isn't too bad.

If you are not good with tight, inclosed spaces, I would suggest getting a room with a balcony, or at least a window so you can at least look out onto the water. It's a little dark sometimes which is creepy but it's beautiful. We saw a full rainbow one night. Leaving out of NY the waters were DEF rough, out of Miami was a lot calmer.

O! And like Celia said, get a room in the middle of the boat. You won't feel it rocking as much PLUS you are even distance to the stairs/elevators.

One more thing. If your DH gets motion sickness, look into the patch. It was a life saver for me on all my cruises. It messes with my eyes but nothing terrible and I just took it off and was fine.

Have fun! Wish I was going on one!

Re: Cruises?

I agree that you should try to find one from FL if you're afraid about possibly being seasick. Where were you thinking of going?

oh, i would advise against NCL ... but i know others who would disagree ... they are generally cheaper though, but the food isn't as good as other cruise lines and there's nothing planned on board (usually, the cruises have all sorts of events, trivia games, shows, contests, etc for those who didn't want to debark the ship)

Re: Cruises?

---

Posted by AwaitingAugust

I agree that you should try to find one from FL if you're afraid about possibly being seasick. Where were you thinking of going?

oh, i would advise against NCL ... but i know others who would disagree ... they are generally cheaper though, but the food isn't as good as other cruise lines and there's nothing planned on board (usually, the cruises have all sorts of events, trivia games, shows, contests, etc for those who didn't want to debark the ship)

---

ITA about the leaving from FL. The waters definitely ARE calmer there. I have gotten seasick on a cruise leaving from NY but the weather was VERY bad. I mean like 15' waves. Everyone was seasick the first night and the next day was like nothing happened.

We always take NCL though and love it. I can't judge about the food b/c I haven't been on other cruise lines but they do always have things scheduled- bingo, comedy shows, Wii tournaments, bar crawls, wine tasting, shopping sales, etc.

ETA: And ITA about the balcony rooms. We got a balcony on our last cruise and we'll never do an inside room again. Though that might not be a great idea if you have a fear of open ocean.

Re: Cruises?

---

Posted by jilliibabii
but they do always have things scheduled- bingo, comedy shows, Wii tournaments, bar crawls, wine tasting, shopping sales, etc.

---

oh really? maybe it's just the one i went on (it was an overnight cruise to nowhere) ... there was NOTHING to do .... good to hear though

Re: Cruises?

---

Posted by AwaitingAugust

---

Posted by jilliibabii
but they do always have things scheduled- bingo, comedy shows, Wii tournaments, bar crawls, wine tasting, shopping sales, etc.

---

oh really? maybe it's just the one i went on (it was an overnight cruise to nowhere) ... there was NOTHING to do .... good to hear though

---

Oh yeah! I've never been on the overnight ones, but on longer ones they always have something to do.

Re: Cruises?

---

Posted by AdriandSteve

My concern about going out of NY is because people have told us that the waters tend to be rougher when you leave NY then if you leave from Fl.

---

left out of ny for our HM and we couldnt have been happier. it was soo nice and easy, no flying and rushing to the boat or having a lay over.

when we left out of FL we were soo rushed for time. you do have an extra day at sea tho when you leave out of ny. but i would sooo reconmend it!!

Re: Cruises?

Royal Caribbean has a bunch of really awesome cruises that leave out of NY and NJ (so you don't have to pay airfare OR worry about overpacking )

DH and I did one out of NJ for 10 days of our honeymoon and it was great! I definitely get very motion sick but I took a dramamine every day first thing and I was totally fine.

Re: Cruises?

I prefer Royal Caribbean - take a cruise out of NY to Bermuda!!!

Re: Cruises?

DH and I did Celebrity Cruises for our honeymoon - its an older crowd, but I had a blast. We're going on a carnival cruise in a few weeks out of NY so that'll be new to me. I hear carnival is a lot cheaper.

Re: Cruises?

crashing!
Royal Caribbean is so much fun and have so many varied activities!
they have 4 and 5 day cruises to the Bahamas and Mexico as well as some of the closer Caribbean Islands.
I would not suggest leaving from NYC or Baltimore as the waters really are more rough up here. Or you can always leave from Puerto Rico and go to some of the more southern Caribbean islands (St. Lucia, Antigua) which are way more beautiful IMO
Celebrity cruises are amazing as well

Re: Cruises?

I've been on 6 cruises and going on my 7th in 3 weeks! I've gotten motion sick on small boats but I was on smaller ships and didn't have a problem. You can take dramamine (they have a non-drowsy version) but from my experience, I barely felt the ship move when I was on bigger ships.

That said, my favorite Cruise Line is Royal Caribbean b/c I felt they had a good combination of activities & casual and fine dining. When I went on Celebrity, there wasn't as much entertainment, in fact, I was bored a lot of the time but the food was superb and the crowd made my parents look like teenagers. This of course, depends on each individual ship, and you can find more specific reviews on www.cruisecritic.com

Also look into www.portreviews.com.

Re: Cruises?

---

Posted by AdriandSteve

My concern about going out of NY is because people have told us that the waters tend to be rougher when you leave NY then if you leave from Fl.

---

I agree, but I also feel like I had more fun (like, more partying) on Caribbean & Mexican cruises than Bermuda, (although Bermuda is beautiful) and I found most of the cruises leaving out of NY were going to Bermuda. Its totally worth it to fly into Florida to go on a cruise ship whose intinerary you like.

Re: Cruises?

LOOOOVEE cruises. You both should get RX for Scopalamine Patches. We've used them for all of our cruises, except one, and the only time that we both have ever had a problem was the one when we didn't use the scopalamine patches. So now I prescribe it for both DH and I, even though I usually don't get sea sick.

Dramamine works good too.